Driving Safely in The Dark

As summer is saying goodbye, we welcome to the longer, darker nights of autumn followed by winter. Driving in the summer could be one of the beautiful experiences of life. However, doing the same in autumn or summer could be close to riding a roller coaster. You need to be more alert while driving at night. However, the cold winter nights could be a real challenge to surpass.

How do you ensure that you remain safe on these long cold nights? Listen to the advice by Grange Motors Land Rover specialists who have interesting tips to share.

Get your vision checked

As night rolls in earlier and sunrise seems to stretch farther on the clock, you need to have good vision to ensure that you can drive safely on the roads. If your eyesight is weak, it could prove dangerous for you. The already low levels of light mean low visibility. Add to that a weak eyesight and you have a recipe for an accident. Towards the end of October, visit your doctor and get your eyes checked. If your eyesight is weak, consider getting glasses, lenses or Lasik done.

You can also ask your optician for anti-glare lenses or glasses. They can help you in avoiding harsh lights from street lamps and vehicle headlights. This helps improving your vision in the night. Additionally, you will be able to read road signs more clearly in the night. If you are traveling by a car, ensure that your windscreen is always clean or it could compromise your vision.

Enable better lighting

You can use full beam only in specific conditions, like driving in rural areas when there are lesser chances of encountering another vehicle. When you are driving on roads where other drivers are also present, ensure that you dip your headlights down. The glare of a full beam can distract or dazzle other drivers which could lead to accidents. Many drivers fail to switch their lights on or don’t get lights repaired before travelling. This could also lead to accidents.

Make sure that you rest

Journeying during winters could be tiring and the harsh weather conditions may make you stop frequently. Don’t worry. You can take frequent breaks during the ride. You should specially do so if your eyes feel tired. Note that lower visibility causes 2,274 road accidents were reported in winter of 2014 alone. Of these 29 people were killed while 251 suffered serious injuries. In fact, the chances of getting into a fatal car accident increase by 49 percent in winter nights.

Be more alert

While driving in winters, you have to be more alert. There could be passersby, especially around pubs and restaurants who may not be fully visible to you because of low lights. Chances of pedestrian accidents could be very high at this time. You can choose to drive slowly and ensure that all distractions are removed, including reflective surfaces on your dashboard and even loud music.

These were a few tips that will help you drive better at night. Make sure that you drive safely and avoid harm to yourself and other drivers and pedestrians.